


Burnt Toast And I Love Yous

by plumeriafairy14



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Breakfast, Cannonverse, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Takes place somewhere in the manga, Tumblr Prompt, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 19:46:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6719443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeriafairy14/pseuds/plumeriafairy14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This little scene takes place during one of the adjustment days where the 104th squad are helping Historia run the orphanage. Jean wanted to tell Armin how his feelings had bloomed for the blonde the past few weeks but Connie and burnt toast got in the way and cockblocked everything. Now Levi is pissed because of the wasted bread and Jean's not going to get much for breakfast. </p>
<p>But that's okay, better him than Armin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burnt Toast And I Love Yous

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt: A time Jean struggled to tell Armin he loves him and a time where he succeeded by mishhima.
> 
> Please let me know what you think! :D

* * *

 

“Oi, wake up, horse face. You’re on breakfast duty.” 

Jean felt a rough shaking on his shoulder. He groaned with sleepy irritation when he recognized the voice. 

“Fuck off, Jaeger.” He blindly swatted Eren’s hand away and sat up. he rubbed the sleep off his eyes and yawned. “I’m up, Quit ripping my arm off.”

The brunette just huffed carelessly and went to the other sleeping mat where a blonde was already sitting up, running his fingers through the sunshine of his hair in a make shift comb to try and tame them. 

“Think you can make breakfast with him today?” Eren asked Armin as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Jean. “I need to head out with Sasha and Mikasa for hunting duty at the forest.” 

“Sure.” Armin nodded with a sleepy smile. He stretched his arms with a satisfied moan which seem to grate on Jean’s nerves pleasantly. He bunched up the blankets over his lap to hide the evidence of where all the blood rushed to because of Armin’s moan. 

Eren gave one last glance of question at Jean as if to ask if that would be fine and Jean waved it off with an affirmative before Eren left the room. 

“Good morning.” Armin smiled at Jean this time. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” Jean feigned a yawn, trying to fill his mind with images of titans to kill the two hundredth seven bone in his body. Nothing like death to chop down the morning wood. It was an effective technique Jean had come up with since Armin started placing his sleeping mat beside his. They slept beside each other when one of them wasn’t on night watch Not that Jean complained but for the past few weeks, Jean had been having these strange feelings that felt like birds beating their wings against the cages of his ribs.

He knew what it meant, but he refused to acknowledge him. Because besides being a confident, cocky asshole as Eren would call him, Jean could get really shy and downright clumsy when someone who meant something to him was close by. At first, back during their trainee days, he thought it had been Mikasa. But he was wrong because as time went by, Jean realized that he felt more towards Mikasa’s childhood friend, the one who saved their asses from getting killed countless times. 

The one who killed another person just to save Jean.

“Go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” 

With a single nod, Armin quickly fixed up his mat, threw on his cardigan and his shoes before he left the room. When the blonde was gone, Jean sighed. He was meaning to tell Armin how he felt. If he was still the old Jean, he would show off like a bastard just like before, but he knew better now. And being a scout, seeing the unspeakable things that had happened lately, it made him mellow down and mature. 

“Man up, Jean.” He gritted at himself. “If he rejects you, then at least you tried, right?” he got up, the morning wood gone from thoughts of titans, chores, and Armin’s possible rejection. He fixed his sleeping mat and placed the pillow neatly on top as ruled by captain Levi’s many rules of house tidiness before he set off for the kitchen. 

Jean found Armin chatting with Connie who was merrily going about the recipes Sasha had taught him. 

“Soak the vegetables in water with a little salt so they don’t darken while they wait to be placed in a broiler pot.” Connie grinned and when he spotted Jean on the doorway, he nodded in acknowledgement and the taller teen nodded back.

“What are we making?” He asked and this time, it was Armin who replied.

“The usual. Toasted bread, eggs, and the remaining of the boar strips Sasha smoked last week.” 

“So that’s why they went hunting.”  Jean muttered. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows before he submerged his hands in a basin of freshly pumped water to wash his hands. Then a couple of eggs before he broke them into a porcelain bowl. 

“Anyway…” Connie continued to Armin. This time, he went on about the process to make the perfect panned toast. All the words that came were a blur to Jean as he watched Armin at the corner of his eye. The thought nagged at him;

_Tell him._

_Tell him._

_Tell him before it’s too late._

“Hey, Connie?” Jean interrupted and his comrade stopped talking to look at him, Armin also looked at him in question to address what he needed. “I think we’re out of salt. Could you fetch some out back?” Jean showed him the empty salt jar to emphasize his point. The storage house was far enough to give Jean some time to make his move. 

“Yeah, sure.” Connie replied, wiping his hands on a towel before he threw the fabric back to hang on a chair. “Give me a second. Be right back, Armin. Flip the toast on time like I told ‘ya.”

“Alright.” Armin nodded enthusiastically. Armin wasn’t the best cook in the squad, that title was actually held by Sasha, Connie, and Jean considering they participated in a cooking contest held by Pixis back in their trainee days. Well, hell, those happy days are far over, sad to say.

Soon, Jean and Armin were left in the kitchen after Connie left. Jean tried to focus on beating the eggs on the bowl but the nervous tension he felt made him beat the slush much harder. 

“Hey.” Suddenly, Armin’s hands were on his, cool, slender fingers wrapped around his wrist. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” The sound Jean made sounded choked and that in turn, Armin didn’t buy it. Jean was in a time limit; it was luck that they were out of salt so he used that to send Connie away and buy them some privacy. 

“Something is clearly wrong.” Armin frowned. “Are you ill?”

“I’m okay.” Jean gulped, refusing to look at Armin. He froze when Armin’s hand went from his wrist to his forehead. 

“You’re a bit warm.” the blonde observed. “Your breathing is uneven and your face is red. Maybe a fever.” 

“I’m fine!” Jean snapped and with a swift movement, he pushed the bowl of eggs aside and reflexively took Armin’s wrists into his hands before he flipped the shorter teen and spun him to press against the counter so that Armin was trapped between the sink and Jean’s body.

“Okay, you are definitely acting strange.” Armin squeaked, startled. A blush that mirrored Jean’s painted his pale cheeks pink and his sky blue eyes were wide.

“Armin,” Jean sighed after he stared at the distraught blonde. His heart pounded and he could barely make it out if he said the right words because the blood was making a loud rush in his ears. His eyes bore deep into Armin’s, a strange emotion in them. “Armin, I…”

“Jean, I got the salt!” Connie’s voice called out from the hallway outside the kitchen and Jean immediately let go of Armin. Connie then appeared on the doorway with a small tin can he used to scoop some salt from their supplies. 

“Th-thanks, man.” Jean forced out and took the condiment from Connie without making any eye contact. He loaded the salt in the jar and resumed his task in breakfast duty. Armin started at him, his heart hammering his chest and Connie resumed his position beside Armin. 

What was that all about? The way Jean held him and the look in his eyes, the blush on his face and that… strangeness like he wanted to say something. Armin wasn’t stupid nor was he dense, Jean was able to send the message loud and clear but he never got the words out because Connie got back early. 

“Armin, the bread is burning!” Connie exclaimed, waving his hands frantically. “Holy shit, pull it out! pull it out!” 

“S-Sorry!” Armin cried back, grabbing the thongs and pulling the charred piece of toast from the pan. It fell on the floor and three stared at it like it was the most horrible abomination in the world.

“Man,” Connie sighed and Armin gulped. “One of us isn’t going to get toast later.” the bread was rationed and they were entitled to a piece because of the limited rations. 

“It’s fine. I won’t have any.” Armin said, a slight tremble in his voice. “Serves me right for forgetting the toast.” 

“Oh, fuck.” Suddenly Connie slapped his hand on his forehead as if he remembered something suddenly, he rushed to the window and pushed it wide open to let the smoke out. “He’s got the nose of a blood hound.”

“Ha?” Jean demanded. “The fuck are you–”

“Dammit, Jean, don’t play dumb, man!” Connie shot back in panic. “He’s been our boss long enough for you to know!”

Oh shit, Armin realized, Connie didn’t meant.

“Alright,” Levi’s voice sliced through air like a whip and three teenage heads turned dreadfully at the man who stood on the doorway. Levi’s hair was held back by a while bandanna, a broom on his hand. “Who burnt it?”

“Sir,…” Armin spoke up, a frightened squeak. Levi was strict when it came to cleanliness and conserving what little rations they had. 

“I did, sir.” Jean cut Armin before the blonde could say anything. “I’m sorry.”

Armin’s eyes widened while Connie gaped.

“Then you do understand that you won’t be getting your share of bread until tomorrow, I assume?” Levi asked, his tone morose, bored and irritated. 

“I understand, sir.” Jean replied with a clip nod at his superior. “I’ll scrub the pan, too.”

“You better.” Levi said turning to leave. “I’ll check it later so make sure you do well else I’ll make you re-do it.” then he left without even waiting for Jean’s reply.

“Jean…” Armin began when it was just the three of them left in the kitchen. The taller teen had gone back to whisk the eggs and add a pinch of salt in. 

“What?” 

“You didn’t have to…” Armin began but Jean just shrugged, never taking his eyes off the eggs and added a splash of milk. 

“I’ll live.” Jean said. “I’ve been through worse. Just keep your eye on the toast next time.”

“O-Okay…” Armin’s reply lowered into a murmur. Connie on the other hand, had lost his morning glee but he still tried to cheer his friends up by telling his silly stories. 

* * *

Breakfast had been awkward for Jean and Armin. Connie had already moved past the burnt toast incident because he was merrily snickering with Sasha. The table was lively in its own way and Jean even joined in by getting into his usual banter with Eren. The only quiet ones were Mikasa, Armin, and Levi. The corporal and Mikasa were understandable because they prefer to settle back and observe. 

Steeling his resolve, Armin made sure that no one was watching him before he pushed the toast from his plate to fall on his lap where an open napkin was laid out. he carefully folded it and placed it in the pocket of his cardigan.

Jean liked to slack off if he can help it. That afternoon, Levi had gone to a meeting with Erwin and Hanji while the orphans had doomed Sasha, Connie, and Eren to be the ones they would pick on that day. Jean then slipped out of sight and went to sit by the small stream in the woods. He mindlessly threw pebble into the water, not caring much if he made them skip.

He messed up this morning. He panicked and spooked out Armin; could’ve gotten the blonde into trouble with Levi had he not stepped in to take the blame. 

“May I join you?” A familiar voice cut through the warm afternoon air. Armin stood by some shrubs not far where Jean sat. 

“Yeah, suit yourself.” Jean shrugged but scooted over in invitation. The blonde took it and sat down beside him. 

“Here.” Armin tugged on Jean’s sleeve to get his attention and handed him a napkin. When Jean took it and unwrapped it, his eyes went wide and he looked at Armin, confused; it was a piece of toast.

“I sneaked it out from this morning.” Armin explained with a gentle smile. “It’s been flattened and soggy from being in my pocket, but it’s still good.”

“This is yours.” Jean frowned but Armin shook his head.

“No, it’s yours.” he smiled, it was like sunshine whenever Armin smiled. “I did burn mine.” 

“Uh, thanks.” Jean looked down on the flat piece of toast and took a bite. It was still okay. but tough. He ate it anyway.

“So, what were you going to say?” Armin asked after a while. “From this morning, I mean. Before Connie…”

“It’s uh… nothing.” Jean could feel his face heat up but Armin frowned this time, no, more like pouted. Jean found it adorable. 

“Liar.” Armin accused.

“Shut up.” Jean growled. 

“No, you shut up.” Armin grumbled back, crossing his arms over his chest. “What was it?”

Jean sighed and leaned back, his hands supporting him from behind while he stared at the serene stream. “You’re going to pester me until i tell, huh?”

“Well, yeah.” Armin said, concerned. “I feel like it’s important.” 

Silence. 

“I love you.” 

Jean wasn’t the type to bullshit. He wasn’t the type dawdle and say empty words of promise. Maybe the old Jean would. The old him wouldn’t be this straight forward, but now, not anymore. 

Armin gaped. “You’re sure you don’t have a fever?”

With frustrated sigh, Jean rolled his eyes in irritation. “No. You know what? Just forget it. I didn’t say anything. It’s not importa—”

“No, it is!” Armin shot back, leaning closer, his eyes intense. “It’s how you feel, right? How you feel is important! I am sick and tired of people thinking that what we do as humans, as scouts, and how we feel to be unimportant!” a sigh of defeat. “We’re human. We feel things! I—!” Armin trailed off. 

Jean waited, frowning, but his eyes held anticipation. Armin loosened the arms he crossed over his chest and hesitantly took Jean’s rough calloused ones into his own. 

“I honestly thought that what I felt towards you was one-sided.” he admitted. Jean’s eyes widened at that and the larger fingers in Armin’s grasp curled to wrap around the blonde’s until their fingers were intertwined. 

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me since being ranked 6th during graduation.” Jean’s voice was but a whisper but it shook, his face red. 

“Life’s filled with surprises.” Armin laughed nervously. “I didn’t say anything because you’ve always liked Mikasa. Besides, I don’t really think highly of myself—” 

Armin was cut when Jean placed his palm to cup his cheek and look into his eyes. “I don’t care. I thought it was her at first but now I realize that's it's YOU.” he said. “I would never say that if you weren’t worth it. So to settle this, say it, Armin.” gentle encouragement. “Say what you feel.” 

“I love you too.”

And that was all it took to assure Jean before he leaned in to close the distance between them and pressed their lips together. The kiss was soft until it roughened a bit when Armin responded then mellowed down again. 

When they pulled apart for air, they stared into each other’s eyes, still in shock. 

“Wow.” Jean breathed before a grin cracked his handsome angular features. 

Taking in the rich golden brown color of Jean’s eyes, Armin grinned back and leaned in to press a soft kiss on Jean’s lips. “You taste like toast.”

Jean laughed and the two of them spent the afternoon together with secret kisses until Eren called out for them to quit slacking and help out because the orphans were wrecking hell again. 


End file.
